Thud!
Ushijima Yūho served again—the same spin shot as before.
Rikkai Dai's current strategy was simple: Exploit a weakness relentlessly.
If a tactic worked, they'd use it all match. Victory was all that mattered!
Crack!
Imazushi Sensui returned the ball, altering its trajectory slightly. But within the calculations of data tennis, Ushijima Yūma was already there, intercepting with ease.
…Hm?
Just as Yūma prepared to strike, he noticed something odd—Kaedō was gone from the front court.
By the time he completed his return, Kaedō and Imazushi had swapped positions.
Imazushi ignored the ball flying past him, leaving it for the backcourt.
"Much better!" Kaedō laughed, his long arms whipping a heavy topspin shot toward the outer edge of the court.
His mind flashed back to Yoru's words from days prior:
"Every Rikkai player likely follows Mitsuya's data tennis. No matter who you face, it'll feel suffocating."
"To break free, you need unpredictability. Doubles has more options—figure it out yourselves!"
Limited by talent, Kaedō and Imazushi had gone for the simplest solution: switching front and back positions mid-rally.
Swish!
The ball curved around the net and referee's chair, landing sharply at Yūho's side before kicking out of bounds.
"Kaedō Kaoru, Imazushi Sensui score! 15–15!"
The crowd erupted in applause—the Boomerang Snake Shot was always a spectacle.
"Annoying to pull off, but damn, it feels good!" Kaedō grinned at his opponents.
With their positional swaps, the duo began mounting their offense.
"Kaedō, Imazushi score! 30–15!"
…
"Kaedō, Imazushi score! 40–15!"
…
Thwack!
This time, Yūho's serve wasn't a spinner—just a flat, blistering strike.
Fast, but not beyond Imazushi's reflexes. He returned it cleanly.
Even Yūma's counter lacked bite—a mediocre shot drifting wide, perfect for another Boomerang Snake.
"Kaedō, NOW!" Imazushi shouted.
"Got it!"
Kaedō, already surging with adrenaline, unleashed his signature shot: "Score!"
Crack!
—Only for a golden streak to blur past them before the ball could curve back in.
Yūma, suddenly outside the court, had intercepted and fired a return faster than thought.
"Wha—?!"
Kaedō's eyes widened, his body still locked in follow-through.
At the net, Imazushi's grin froze, sweat beading as he stared at the Ushijima brothers.
"So noisy."
Their voices overlapped.
A pale mist now linked the twins—Synchronicity.
QP's brow furrowed.
Two as one, one as two.
100% trust. No communication needed. A perfect doubles union that boosted their base stats.
"They activated it this early?"
Yoru wasn't surprised. In the original story, the Ushijima brothers had deep Synchro upon debut.
But for Kaedō and Imazushi? It was a dimensional strike.
The scoreboard began ticking like a death clock.
Thud! "Ushijima Yūma, Ushijima Yūho score! 1–0!"
…
Thud! "3–0!"
…
Thud! "5–0!"
A brutal gap.
Synchro placed the pairs in different leagues—tactics, skill, everything.
"What is this…?"
"We can't even fight back—this is a joke!"
Kaedō and Imazushi panted, faces ashen.
Never in their Nationals run had they been so thoroughly crushed. Even in losing battles, their grit had carried them.
But the Ushijima brothers redefined doubles before their eyes.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Four final points. Four flawless tactic shifts—no communication needed.
"Game set! Ushijima brothers win, 6–0!"
The scoreboard's crimson numbers stabbed into Kaedō and Imazushi like daggers.
Worse?
The match clock hadn't even hit 15 minutes.
They barely registered leaving the court, numb to the twins' outstretched hands.
If not for the referee's pity, their dazed state might've earned Seigaku a penalty.
"Still just kids," Yoru sighed.
Despite the Prince of Tennis world's maturity, mental resilience had limits.
From prefecturals to Kantō, they'd barely lost. Now, a 6–0 finals humiliation?
He wouldn't coddle them—just mused aloud:
"Wonder how things'd go if you hit Synchro."
Their hollow eyes flickered.
Unlike Pinnacle of Hard Work, Synchro didn't demand raw power. In the original, Golden Pair achieved it at ~5–7★.
With their chemistry? Maybe.
---
"We won."
"Pity it wasn't Yamato's pair."
The Ushijima twins walked off, victory tasting hollow.
They knew Mitsuya's plans—disruptions risked everything.
Luckily, Seigaku's lineup shuffle was anticipated. Otherwise, they wouldn't have memorized Kaedō/Imazushi's data.
Mitsuya turned to his second doubles team:
"Next is Yamato and Kawasaki. Their Kantō "breaking-in period," made them stronger. Stay sharp."
"But you've memorized their weak points. Stick to the data, and it's an easy win. No pressure."
"Yes, Captain!"
Mitsuya exhaled.
Everything hinged on this. If Doubles 1 won, Rikkai's victory was 80% secured.
He was confident Kirihara couldn't escape his data web.
Then—a voice carried from Seigaku's side:
"Kaedō-senpai, lend us your rackets. Me and Kirihara-senpai will use them!"
---